Week eight has come and gone, and whether you’re a glass half empty (“oh man, the season’s half over”), or a glass half full type (“right on, I still have nine weeks of football left”), it is time for the Mid-Season Awards. I’m still feeling good about my San Fran/New England Super Bowl prediction, but several of my mini awards have changed hands in the last four weeks. If you’re not satisfied with these picks, wait until after week 12, and we’ll see how they’ve evolved.
Like always, I’ve undoubtedly missed someone, likely even someone that you didn’t. And like always, I cordially invite you to comment and let me know if I dissed or missed your guy.

MVP: Peyton Manning has a QB rating of 109, while averaging 8.2 Yards per throw, with a 17-4 TD-INT ratio. The Broncos are in first place to stay, and the Sheriff is the reason why. This guy is incredible.Also Considered: Aaron Rodgers, Wes Welker, Victor Cruz, Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin

Best WR: Victor Cruz has 52 receptions for 650 yards and 7 touchdowns, including two of 77 & 80 yards while his team trailed late in games. It looks as if we’ll see plenty more Salsa dancing before the post season.Also Considered: Percy Harvin, Wes Welker, A.J Green, Brandon Marshall

Best TE: Rob Gronkowski has passed his counterparts with several big games this quarter. He may not be the most popular pick, but Gronk has the numbers for his position (43-580-13.5-7), and they’re undisputed.Also Considered: Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten

Best Pass Rusher: Daryl Washington brings home this award after narrowly missing at linebacker. He is currently third in the league with 8 sacks, but has 34 more tackles than the other contenders here. For an inside linebacker, he’s a beast of a pass rusher.Also Considered: J. J. Watts, Clay Matthews

Best Linebacker: Navorro Bowman wins this by the narrowest of margins, due to his ability to drop into coverage. His 68 tackles and 2 sacks put him in the yard with Daryl Washington, but 6 passes defended and an interception give him the edge for best backer.Also Considered: Daryl Washington, Jarod Mayo, Chad Greenway

Best Pass Defender: Tim Jennings is running away with this award at midseason, with 39 tackles, 6 interceptions and 19 passes defended. Frequently left in man coverage, Jennings has netted 34 of those tackles by himself. Could it be time for a new island to be named?Also Considered: Richard Sherman, Cortland Finnegan

Best Rookie: Robert Griffin III has managed to hold the position from the beginning, but his lead isn’t as commanding as it once was. With a 97.3 passer rating he is still playing above his fellow rookie passers, while adding an additional 476 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground.Also Considered: Alfred Morris, Doug Martin

That’s a wrap on the Mid-Season Awards, tune in again after week 12 and see who the front runners will be for the home stretch. If you think these[1] picks are ugly, please reference the photo of the Steelers uniforms, and they should look a little sounder. The bumble bee wrappers they wore in the steel city last weekend have surpassed, in my mind, the Denver Broncos vertical sock stripes as the ugliest uniforms I’ve seen. If I owned the Steelers, I’d make them wear those every week until the clinched the division, then let them return to the always cool black and gold for the post season.